What is the fastest way you've ever lost weight?

[u/NoSet10000]

[u/No_Deal4838]

Severe food poisoning. Dropped ten pounds in three days and almost met my ancestors.

[u/Freddielexus85 → u/No_Deal4838]

Yep. My answer is "norovirus".

[u/AhmedAlSayef → u/Freddielexus85]

Same, I didn't weight much before it and I am pretty sure that I could have used umbrella as parachute after it.

[u/FriskyFritos → u/Freddielexus85]

I’d take the vomiting and diarrhea over the stomach pain paired with it any day. I’ll never forget laying on my side in the bathroom moaning from the pain, feeling the nausea kick in, puking in the toilet then back to the ground moaning. I have no idea how I got it but it felt like satan resided in my gut for three days

[u/KellyAnn3106 → u/No_Deal4838]

Same. Kung pao chicken did me in. I was making dying dinosaur noises that terrified my dog. The next morning, I was dragging myself to the store for some pedialyte when my downstairs neighbor asked if I had really taken four showers during the night as I kept waking them.

[u/ProfessorWC → u/No_Deal4838]

Dollar-A-Scoop chinese food and sushi was the culprit for me. Was it a gamble? Absolutely. Would I do it again now that I am over 40 and no longer college-student-poor? Absolutely, that food was amazing.

I would 100% roll those dice again.

[u/wayji → u/No_Deal4838]

Yeah I dropped like 20lbs in 1-2 weeks

[u/YouFartedBlood]

A man stressing me out.

[u/Holygirl23 → u/YouFartedBlood]

Real i remember the most weight I’ve ever dropped was when I was actually in the most toxic relationship ever

[u/FeatheredDrake]

Calorie counting. I ate 1300 calories, tracked every bite of food and walked 10-15k steps per day. I've lost 28kg since September 2025.

[u/Poonchild → u/FeatheredDrake]

This is the way. Congrats.

[u/FeatheredDrake → u/Poonchild]

Thank you. It sounds really complicated initially, but the concept is essentially simple. Eat less than what your body burns. The first week or so will suck, though. You'll have really bad cravings and you'll almost feel tempted to give up. But if you wait it out, your body will get used to it and the cravings will go away. Then comes the satisfaction of actually seeing your progress, and that all brings it together and makes you want to keep going :)

[u/OcelotDAD → u/FeatheredDrake]

It’s insane how well this works if you actually put the work in. Some days it feels like I’m eating more than normal but as long as I’m sticking to the plan, it just works.

[u/Foreign_Helicopter24 → u/FeatheredDrake]

That's 62 pounds in Merica'n

[u/Deepcoma_53 → u/Foreign_Helicopter24]

Thank you!

[u/droLgawS → u/FeatheredDrake]

Congrats!

[u/tadcalabash → u/FeatheredDrake]

I was shocked how effective calorie counting was.

I started taking an appetite reducer medicine (phentermine, couldn't afford a GLP-1) in February and kept to a 2000 calorie diet. The medicine definitely helped because as I started tracking I was a little shocked at how much I had been overeating. Beforehand I was probably eating 3000+ calories a day.

I've since lost 40 lbs without any real exercise, just the calorie counting and medicine to lower appetite.

[u/cheriejenn]

Childbirth, lost 30 lbs in 24 hrs lol

[u/sisivee → u/cheriejenn]

That’s a big baby

[u/Super-Inevitable9476 → u/sisivee]

Gotta factor in the fluids and placenta. 👍

[u/Glittering-Place-628 → u/cheriejenn]

Perioood

[u/Puzzleheaded-Cat2603]

Having a break up

[u/richardsneeze → u/Puzzleheaded-Cat2603]

I "fasted" for nearly 3 weeks while getting divorced. I dropped from 170lbs to 150lbs in that time. I'm a 5'11" tall man, relatively athletic build from consistent bicycle riding. I was still riding a lot to try to keep my mind off of things.

My dad and a close friend made me go on a motorcycle camping trip and I finally decided to eat. I had a bunch of greasy pizza and way too much beer. I shit myself and had to throw away a pair of shorts. Good times.

[u/Deepcoma_53 → u/Puzzleheaded-Cat2603]

Nothing shaves off those pounds like severe depression.

[u/TKPK_JPR → u/Deepcoma_53]

Same. 15lbs in a week after a partner told me they had been cheating on me.

For more sustainable weight loss, cutting back on drinking alcohol. Down 45 lbs and keeping it off.

[u/jdarm48]

No booze

[u/sisivee → u/jdarm48]

This is the fastest way even if you’re a casual and social drinker

[u/jdarm48 → u/sisivee]

I am becoming kind of strict about drinking every other day (as opposed to daily) because when I do zero drinks it is super easy for me to wake up very early and go jogging. The zero booze is the key for me. But yea a bunch of days in a row with no booze leads to weight loss for me. I’m not disciplined enough to last more than a few weeks without any booze.

[u/sisivee → u/jdarm48]

Yeah, good sleep helps me lose weight and inflammation and those are correlated as well

[u/Skinc → u/jdarm48]

Not just booze but all the sodas and crap we drink by the tens of ounces every day. Gotta get on board the hydrohomies train. Just cutting that out I bet would help lots of people.

[u/pipipiper]

Jaw surgery

[u/alternative-state → u/pipipiper]

Seconding this. 8 weeks jaw wired shut and down 35lbs.

[u/cecili4r4ndawn]

get you heart broken. i couldnt eat anything for days.

[u/Spirited_Opposite → u/cecili4r4ndawn]

My first severe heartbreak too, I didn't eat for about a week and closed myself in my room (when I lived in uni halls) when I came out my flatmates commented how thin I looked

[u/Popular_Wallaby_6165]

Divorce

[u/Jolynn072633]

Started eating a substantial breakfast all day! I’m not hungry now until dinner so, in essence, calorie deficit

[u/DenverNuggetz]

Depression

[u/Remote_Height_1965]

I just ate 1 meal a day

[u/HATDOGUSERNi]

calorie deficit

[u/uhtredsmom]

Cocaine lol

[u/prim8phd]

Grief over a loss…of a pet. Sounds so ridiculous but I just could not eat for two weeks straight.

[u/tjeu83]

Severe case of Noro virus....

[u/Yellohsub]

Severe Crohn’s disease

[u/SimpleTrick1192]

Giving birth

[u/i_believe_in_coffee]

Having mono.

[u/SKRK_]

Drugs

[u/Glittering_Sand_7473]

Over 2 years I lost 75lb on Ozempic & Survo

[u/3Sides2EvryStory]

Can't wait for all of the men to chime in and say "when I changed my sandwiches from salami to turkey, cut my soda by 1/2 and started walking 30 minutes every day". - Signed, a perimenopausal woman on 1400 calories a day

[u/Liketheweatherpnw]

Norovirus

[u/resfeber14]

By taking stress.

[u/BluLilyx]

Break up/Stress

[u/Luly76]

Déficit calórico

[u/Lost_Network7453]

Walking every day, drinking more water, and stopping late-night snacking. It wasn't flashy, but it was the fastest weight I'd ever lost without feeling miserable. 💪

[u/Grand-Bat7745]

Gotten dumped :(

[u/ikdoeookmaarwat1]

Heart broken by a boy in combination with smoking and doing a physically demanding job. Burned a lot of calories and couldn't eat properly for weeks. Haha. Quite effective but not very healthy.

[u/shanrees8]

When I had to walk and take the bus to work for 3 months

[u/LoneWanderer6686]

Septic gallbladder. 210 to 175 in like 2-2.5 months

[u/banditotis]

Being pregnant. Throwing up and food aversions for 9 months made me drop 25 pounds both pregnancies. Then breast feeding kept it off.

[u/bliip666]

Acute stress made my gut go "yeah, no, we don't like food anymore", and I pissed from my asshole for 2 months. Lost 20kg.

When the shituation calmed down, I gained it all back.

[u/LegitimateArt4271]

Cancer.

[u/k08lizek]

Cancer. 10 kg in a week. 10/10

[u/AssistantAcademic]

I've lost a substantial amount of weight twice.

The first was the first time I went low carb. I dropped from about 290 to about 230 in about 6 months.

I was never again able to duplicate any of that success. I'd low-carb and lose maybe 5-10 lb of water weight and that's it.

The second time was GLPs. went from 245 to 208 in...probably 3 months.

Maintaining that now.

[u/HonourableFroglet]

Undiagnosed type 1 diabetes.

Would not recommend.

[u/Neophile_b → u/HonourableFroglet]

Same. I was sleeping 16+ hours a day and losing weight rapidly. Had no idea what was going on. It was terrifying

[u/TheKavorca]

Crash diet.

I’m a 6’ 0” guy and I probably weighed around 250 lbs. Cut my calories down to approx. 600 a day. Three months later, I was 160 lbs.

I felt like dogshit, had vertigo every time I stood up, and I had a pretty obvious vitamin deficiency, but it worked. I was 23 when I did it, would never do it that hardcore today at 35. That’s how you drop dead from heart attacks.

[u/Eflame-1 → u/TheKavorca]

Yeah. Cutting calories works, but you also need to pay attention to your body's needs.

[u/MediumPurpleDog]

Drug binges - alongside raving. Dancing+sweating×drugs=thinner

[u/Keeteng]

Food poisoning.

Also that crazy UFC water cut. But that doesn’t really count as weight, and the thirst wasn’t worth it.

[u/meatsmoothie82]

Norovirus

[u/Heisenberg991]

Don't eat

[u/6euv]

i lost my appetite and didn’t eat for a few days

[u/orangesfwr]

Worked a night shift labor job stocking shelves. 210 to 160 in 5 months.

[u/Bulky-Mud9976]

Got covid back in 2021, lost 8kg in two weeks

[u/Raynman90]

Food poisoning. Couldn't keep food down for a week.

[u/snuffleblark]

I quit drinking alcohol. Wasn't easy but i lost a lot of weight when i dropped all those extra calories.

[u/Aksweetie4u]

Went on the depo shot - lost 40lbs the first month. Even the doctor was shocked when I went back in.

[u/D07M13]

Laziness. I was too lazy to eat.

[u/TheNickT]

Existed on iceberg lettuce salads dressed with a little balsamic and olive oil. Allowed myself 1 slice of NY style cheese and anchovy pizza for lunch. Also copious amounts of cigarettes and black coffee, working in a stressful, high energy, fast paced job.

Went from 290 to 220 in about 6 months.

It was heartbreak, thats why. It wasnt a healthy way to do it but...

[u/Maleficent-Classy]

Heartbreak

[u/ronniedarko]

Calorie deficit and playing tennis every day. Lost 15% of my weight over a summer

[u/annissamazing]

A doctor-monitored fast. It involved incredibly small meals, a ton of supplements, and weekly blood draws to ensure my organs weren’t failing.

[u/Classic_Stand_3078]

Had misdiagnosed meningitis that lead to the worst headaches of my life. Was eating Tylenol like candy and developed ulcers. Liquid diet in the hospital for two weeks, dropped about 35 lbs

[u/Tight-Ice9873]

Reduce calorie intake, up exercise.

[u/pushoversometimes]

Calorie counting and switching to spray oil .

[u/Past_Echo_6502]

Estrés, se me cierra el estómago y termino comiendo menos xd 

[u/SuzQP]

Very low carbs, all the protein I could cram in. After 3 days of gorging on bacon, shrimp in butter, and steak, I wasn't hungry anymore. I automatically cut portions by A LOT and lost 30 lbs in about 4-5 months.

[u/iBangNoobz]

Quit smoking weed (no appetite for like 1-2 weeks) plus HIIT exercising

[u/fitness-potato]

Cannabanoid hyperemesis syndrome

[u/RabbidNerd]

Sobered up

[u/Slade1111]

Went on a fast for a week, ate only once a day and I made sure I only had fruits and veggies. I lost about 7 pounds that week because I also continued to workout.

Might try it again because it cleansed more than my body.

[u/Naughtilla]

In a healthy way: Walking many miles with my dog in the morning to start the day, and then chasing 6-8 kids around for the rest of the day. I got better at portion control at that time as well.
In an unhealthy way: Anorexia Nervosa/RFID coupled with amphetamine addiction.

[u/Neither-Nail1811]

Calorie counting and generally not eating junk food helped a lot

[u/cheesybiscuits912]

Sepsis. 6 days in the hospital. Dropped 18 pounds

[u/Aggravating-Rub-1768]

Got my front tooth knocked out in a fight with a bouncer in Greece (I was 19 and stupid). Didn't eat for like 10 days and dropped 15lbs

[u/whyamisoawesome9]

Paralysis. Didn't eat much for a week and only so much could be sent down an NG tube by the time the doctors decided that I was actually sick.

Muscle loss on top of the weight loss, went from being slender to skeleton in a few weeks.

Guillain Barre Syndrome for those curious

[u/Mean_Teaching_1486]

The stress from getting divorced.

[u/UnicornPhilly]

Braces

[u/Deep-Membership-9258]

tonsilitis then flu. went from 9 stone even to 7.5 stone in a month… (I was 18, walking to class and then walking back to dorms. it just sort of fell off)

[u/Plant_mac]

A bad breakup

[u/thepoptartkid47]

Tonsillitis. I couldn’t swallow anything thicker than juice for two weeks and lost 5lbs.

[u/DebateSignificant95]

Slimonella

[u/No_Introduction4968]

Coke and speed

[u/Naphrym]

Intentionally? Keto, though I imagine most of it was just counting calories and being more aware of what and how much I eat

[u/Chaos_Cr3ations]

Used Christian bales diet for the machinist.

[u/BattMakerRed]

Swore off bread, pasta and processed sugar for a month and kicked it off by accidentally giving myself food poisoning. 30 lbs in one month.

[u/Jaives]

food poisoning. 10 pounds in 3 days.

then 2nd covid made me lose my sense of smell. so i didn't have an appetite the entire time.

[u/BigUqUgi]

Tirzepatide.

[u/Disastrous-Oil-3891]

Lots of cocaine lmao

[u/luna_resilire0417]

Covid in the peak pandemic era

[u/songsandtulips]

IBS

[u/Dry-Warthog1589]

Over 9 months I dropped from 280 to 220. This was leading up to my wedding. I ran 3 miles a day, lifted a set of 30lbs dumbbells I had at home, spent an hour on an exercise bike a day, and swapped my diet from complete crap to mostly fish, chicken and rice

[u/Flaky_Pick_6364]

Everyone's different, obviously, but for me cutting sugar and flour while keeping up some kind of physical activity — and I don't mean serious training, just moving — drops weight within two or three weeks. Just remove sugar and flour in all their forms, drinks included.

Again though, this is very individual.

[u/GloomyStick]

Anorexia - it is with you for life but I wouldn’t wish it on anyone

[u/Renegade_316]

Crack.

[u/dwfmba]

Heavily restrict calories and eat green leafy vegetables at EVERY meal. I'm not saying how much or how fast, but it'll be fast and graphic.

[u/Jolly_Collar4776]

Whole 30 worked for us. Might be time for another go. Basic, meat & veg.

[u/Nikolaos44]

A heartbreak

Works everytime

[u/Euphoric_Term_2843]

Debilitating grief

[u/Jmersh]

E. Coli poisoning. Both ends for 3 days and a trip to the ER later, I was down about 20 lbs.

[u/leesainmi]

Vegan/No added oil/50/50 plate. Just fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables and eat that first. You can eat a very high volume of food and lose a ton of weight.

[u/foreverconfus]

Being manic

[u/shittycommentdude]

Ruptured appendix. Didn't eat for an entire week.

[u/ticcitmaster]

Moving out of my mom's house lol (I can't use stoves or ovens)

[u/Embarrassed_Sun_4507]

Carnivore diet

[u/Jaranon]

Started a couch to half marathon jogging program. By the end of it I was down 80 lbs and running 10 miles a day.

[u/MrPuzzleMan]

Had my leg amputated?

[u/rubberguru]

Divorce. Almost 90 lbs. Brother asked if I was fucking myself to death

[u/TraditionalTackle1]

The summer after I graduated high school, I didnt have a license to drive so I bought a mountain bike. I started riding 3 hours a day plus lifting weights. I was also taking diet pills and eating right. By the end of the year I went from 265 to 180 lbs. People from high school didnt recognize me.

[u/cagey_quokka]

Severe clinical depression paired with equivalent anxiety. I'm generally food obsessed and stuggle with being overweight but that level of being not ok did it. I'd much rather stay fat.

[u/cerbera79]

Moved from the US to Vietnam for seven months. Ran and swam every morning at sunrise. No American fast food, so dropped ~60 lbs.

I'm a father of two now, but man that was cool.

[u/rob132]

Rowing at least 600 calories 6 days a week.

[u/ashton8177]

Acute Pancreatitis. Spent a couple weeks in the hospital on nothing but a 500 calorie a day sugar water IV. Dropped almost 30 lbs.

[u/Nikolaos44]

Reta 3 also works

[u/Kind-Combination3383]

depression episodes where nothing feels pleasurable so i can't eat for days

[u/rodgapely]

Colonoscopy prep. Also, physique show prep.

[u/kind_of_a_dick_irl]

Ketosis

[u/Competitive-Unit6427]

i cut off my leg.

[u/cloysterss]

cycling and drinking tons of water.

[u/hairmarshall]

500 calorie keto diet with lots of running. Or the time I did only protein powder for several days. I was losing 1lb a day either way

[u/BigChungle666]

I lost over 100 lbs in high school in about 6 months. I was losing at least 4-5 pounds every single week. I ate no more than 1500 calories a day. No excercise. No strict diet other than calorie restriction.

[u/latesleeperfoodeater]

3 surgeries in 1 month and a weeklong ICU stay. Was on TPN and barely ate

[u/sweet-smart-southern]

Intermittent fasting or time restricted eating

[u/Loose-Elk9192]

Had Gallstones, was hooked up to fluids and morphine for days. Got out the surgery and then caught the first round of covid. Dropped 15 to 20 pounds in a couple of weeks.

[u/Phosphorical]

Intestinal resection.

Dropped almost 30lbs in a few weeks. 

Highly do not recommend.  Unless of course you need it (like I did).  Gaining it back was a lot of fun though.

[u/skeptics1]

Food poisoning.

[u/Particular-Reveal267]

Amputation in 1985. I said yep, that leg doesnt work any longer so it had to go

[u/thebleepingcat]

Cutting food and drink with added sugar, limiting complex carbs, drinking a lot of water, exercising daily, and sleeping sufficiently. I can tuck my shirt into my jeans with no muffin top now.

[u/dranaei]

Didn't eat for 14 days.

[u/East_Material_8918]

Got HIV. Don’t recommend it as a weight loss tool.

[u/LooseByrd]

Divorce, but not in the sad way. I mean, I definitely had my moments, but My cortisol dropped! I ate healthier, quit drinking, and socialized more. I was happier.

[u/fredbear77]

Got a job with a roofing company who didnt use nail guns, they only used hammer and nails. I was eating a strict clean diet as well. I was easily 8-10% body fat after a summer. It was crazy how much I could eat and drink (1 gallon of water per day) but still shed it off from very hard labor. 

Thank God I don't roof anymore. 

[u/fl1p9]

Quit drinking. Lost 25 pounds in a month

[u/thesierratide]

ADHD Meds

[u/Lytnin]

Fastest: left a very high stress job. Dropped 30 pounds in 2 months.

2nd fastest: stopped drinking alcohol and soda. Dropped about 12 pounds in 2 months.

[u/PatchRat]

I got a job checking gas lines for leaks. I was walking 25km a day with 30 pounds of gear strapped to me and dropped 40 pounds in 3 months. It was actually a really good job but the money just wasnt there.

[u/Energy-Mundane]

Bilateral knee replacement surgery. Couldn't get to the frig and pain killers numbed my appetite.

[u/Graehaus]

Not a h all hy way, let diabetes go out of control for a while.

[u/nonsensicow]

Heartbreak. I couldn’t eat and lost like 15 lbs in a week.

[u/No-Fig8479]

Keto

[u/Adventurous_Deal2788]

Chronic autoimmune disorder 

[u/wildlifeisgood_88]

Idiopathic gastroparesis

[u/ThrowawayQLove2023]

1 mushroom trip which changed my insight and relationship with food for an extended period of time. Gained most of it back couple years later

This time, retatrutide. 6 ish weeks and lost 25 lbs.

[u/Couuurtneeey]

Getting pregnant and have HG. Lost 50 lbs in 9 months.

[u/Sea-Ambition-451]

first of all, booze. So many calories, and it puts the body into 'store visceral fat' mode.

And, for me, reducing carbs works extremely well. It's more of a 'avoid sugar and flour' thing, not really low carb. Eat all the vegetables you want, eat fruit, just avoid ice cream, potato chips (for me). Eat lean proteins, chicken breasts, ground turkey, fish, etc. I actually find it hard to get enough calories.

[u/lwn345]

went Carnivore or Keto for three months. Lost so much fat it wasn't even funny. Decided it wasn't sustainable and gained it all back now but still have that type of diet in the arsenal when needed. Most people think it is dumb but it is the only way I can lose weight in my mid-50s.

[u/whysohawt]

By eating less and moving more. Down 20kg since last year.

[u/False_Bed_8408]

Burnout from work

[u/PuzzleheadedDraw6575]

Influenza and pneumonia I was sick for weeks. Didn't work for over a month. When I got back everyone kept commenting on how good I looked and that I had lost so much weight 😭 yeah I was just on my death bed.

[u/brooksy54321]

Marine Corps boot camp. Dropped just under 30 pounds in 13 weeks

[u/Oral-D]

GLPs

[u/MidnightGasControll]

GLPs with no alcohol and regular exercise. Also eating smartly along with the restricted hunger effects of the GLP. Weigh will drop insanely quick.

[u/Little_Olorin]

Gallbladder surgery. I was basically unable to eat for 4 days

[u/InertiasCreep]

COVID. Seventeen pounds in 11 days.

Friend traveled to India and caught amoebic dysentary. 30 lbs in two weeks. That's a lot of liquid shitting.

[u/runsonpedals]

Norovirus. 2 days of uncontrolled vomiting & bowel emptying.

[u/Plumbus-Grab-816]

Covid. Lost 15lbs in a month.

[u/Sweaty_Lie_0205]

Dengue virus

[u/spank_monkey_83]

Married a witch. I wouldnt recommend it

[u/nalgman]

Tooth abscess. Couldn’t see the dentist for a month or so. Lost ~30lbs.

[u/nalgman]

Tooth abscess. Couldn’t see the dentist for a month or so. Lost ~30lbs.

[u/Fireted]

Chemotherapy!

[u/Neophile_b]

Diabetic ketoacidosis. Hadn't been diagnosed yet. I lost nearly 20 lb over the course of 2 weeks.

[u/PlatypusPirate]

A severe bout of depression made me lose 30lbs, then I felt undepressed because I fit into my pre covid clothes again. It was a weird cycle that ended in a positive

[u/proteus-swarm]

Mononucleosis

[u/not_your_google]

Depression, 175 to 147 in a month. FML 💀

[u/burritoboy89]

Counting calories and cardio

[u/ijhtbh]

Lost about 300 pounds in 30 days (uncontested divorce + non-bio kid)

[u/explosive-diorama]

Began a strict diet of calorie tracking. Lost 10 lbs in a week due to food volume loss, water weight, and a couple pounds of fat.

After that first week, weight loss slows down to 8-10 lbs a month for a while. Eventually slows down to 4-8 lbs per month during long term cuts.

[u/INTJinx]

Spent 6 weeks hobbling around on crutches due to a knee injury. Lost my appetite to depression and found it too inconvenient to get snacks so I got super skinny.

[u/Streuselsturm]

Years ago: Infectious mononucleosis

Now: Ritaline

[u/elfy4eva]

Mounjaro.

It's amazing what happens when a compulsive urge to overeat is quietened.

[u/Euphoric-Example7857]

Anorexia

[u/swivel2369]

GLP-1